Latest news with #Ono
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
State board rejects University of Florida pick amid conservative backlash
The Florida Board of Governors rejected Santa Ono to serve as the president of the University of Florida on Tuesday amid backlash from conservatives over Ono's past stances on diversity, equity and inclusion on (DEI) college campuses. The board, which oversees the state's university system, voted 10-6 to block the former University of Michigan president from serving as the University of Florida president weeks after the university's board of trustees voted unanimously in favor of Ono. The move from the state's Board of Governors marks the first time in its 22-year history that it has rejected a university's presidential selection. The board's rejection means that the university will have to start its presidential selection process over. Ono faced pushback from conservatives, as well as members of Florida's congressional delegation, over his past stances on DEI, which has become a target of the Trump administration. Last week, the president's son Donald Trump Jr. called on 'every single member' of the Board of Governors to vote against Ono. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who appointed most of the state's Board of Governors, avoided jumping directly into the fray over Ono's nomination. 'We have expectations about what we want in higher education. We don't want it to be a fountain of activism and leftist indoctrination and if you go in that direction, then you will not have support to continue,' DeSantis said at a press conference last week. 'People have pointed out a lot of statements that he has made that are not exactly what we're looking for in a state where woke goes to die and I cringe at some of these statements.' The chair of the university's board of trustees, Mori Hosseini, a DeSantis ally, backed Ono as the pick to lead the university. Ono wrote in a recent op-ed that his views on the issue have evolved. 'Like many, I supported what I believed to be the original intent of DEI — ensuring equal opportunity and fairness for every student,' he wrote in Inside Higher Ed earlier this month. 'That's something on which most everyone agrees. But over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Former UBC president Santa Ono rejected by University of Florida amid Conservative backlash
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Longtime academic Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the University of Florida presidency by the State University System board amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's universities, voted 10-6 against Ono, who was most recently president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in May to approve Ono as the school's 14th president, and it is unprecedented for the governors to reverse such an action. Now the search will start all over. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Ono's proposed contract included a number of ideological requirements, such as how well he stopped programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. He was to co-operate with Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office of Government Efficiency — similar to the office created by President Donald Trump — and appoint other university officials and deans who are 'firmly aligned' with Florida's approach. Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions. These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on the X social platform, show 'he is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.' Others raising objections include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor. Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he supported DEI initiatives at first because the aim was 'equal opportunity and fairness for every student.' 'But over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,' Ono wrote, adding that he eventually Limited DEI offices at Michigan. 'I believe in Florida's vision for higher education.' DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in higher education to eliminate what he calls 'woke' policies such as DEI, did not take a public stand on Ono but did say at a recent news conference that some of his statements made the governor 'cringe.' Ono faced similar pointed questions at Tuesday's meeting — especially from former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva — leading board member Charles Lydecker to object to the procedure. 'We have never used this as a forum to interrogate. This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me,' Lydecker said. Oliva, however, questioned how to square Ono's many past statements about hot-button cultural issues with his more Conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job. 'Now we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,' Oliva said. 'We are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don't understand how it becomes unfair.' Steube, writing on X, praised the board for its decision. 'Great news for my alma mater and the state of Florida! The Board of Governors heard us loud and clear: Santa Ono was the wrong choice for UF,' the congressman said. Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school's temporary, interim president last summer after ex-U. S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university's president in 2023. Sasse announced in July he was leaving the job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy. Later reports surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job. Ono is also the former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. He left UBC in July 2022, at which time board chair and governor Nancy McKenzie said Ono had made the university a more inclusive campus. His legacy began, she said, with the development of UBC's strategic plan when Ono first arrived six years earlier. 'And flowing from that he's made significant strides toward equity, inclusion and diversity in our practices and in our workforce, and really worked to build a very inclusive culture,' McKenzie said. Ono, who was born in Vancouver and learned to ride his bike along tree-lined Main Mall at the Point Grey campus where his dad taught in the 1960s, became UBC president in 2016 after Dr. Arvind Gupta left abruptly as president in 2015, only one year into a five-year term, following rifts with the board of governors. With files from Gordon McIntyre
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ono nixed as UF presidential finalist due to conflicting DEI stances
University of Florida President Santa Ono takes questions from trustees before they unanimously approved him as the school's president-elect on May 27, 2025. He was rejected by the state Board of Governors on June 3, 2025. (Photo courtesy of University of Florida) In a stunning move, the panel that oversees Florida's state university system voted against hiring Santa Ono as the next president for the University of Florida during an extended special meeting Tuesday. The State University System Board of Governors voted against Ono in a 6-10 vote that followed hours of contentious questioning and debate where Ono was grilled over his past positions on diversity equity and inclusion. The vote comes a week after UF trustees approved Ono, the immediate past-president of the University of Michigan and sole finalist for the job, which would have paid him a $3 million annual package that included $1.5 million base salary After conducting a months-long search, UF remains without a permanent president. Former UF President Kent Fuchs has been serving as interim president since former President Ben Sasse resigned last year. Approving Ono was the only item discussed during the board meeting, which ran nearly two hours longer than originally scheduled. Some members compared the vetting to a court interrogation. Members mainly asked about Ono's changing stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how he could carry out Florida's agenda denouncing DEI, but delved into other topics, like a Christian's interpretation of original sin and Gov. Ron DeSantis' COVID-19 response. 'It's insidious that it feels like pushing a rope uphill when we establish these policies, if a president doesn't really believe in those policies,' Board of Governors Vice Chair Alan Levine said during the meeting in Orlando. 'And it's a powerful position, you can be an inhibitor, or you can help advance. And so I guess so much of your record reflects your deeply held beliefs, that you have been an advocate of DEI up until recently.' Ono supported diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the University of Michigan, one of the top-ranked public institutions in the country, guiding its 'DEI 2.0' initiative and touting benefits of such programs but ultimately closed DEI offices earlier this year. 'It looks to me like you got rid of the program because you needed to do what you had to do with the president's orders and the funding issues. But you didn't really push to get rid of DEI,' Levine said. Ono replied with an answer he uttered several times, that he began looking at DEI when he took office at Michigan, rather than an immediate decision after Trump's executive order. Ono told UF trustees last week that he developed his new stance on DEI in the last year and a half after talking with students and other members of the university community. Before, he wasn't an expert on the topic, which had been universal in higher education, he said, and told trustees his conviction is 'rock solid.' Ono said he mirrors Florida's evolution with accepting, and then rejecting, DEI. 'For anyone who believes Dr. Ono's earlier views on DEI, views that many university leaders and civic organizations once shared, are disqualifying despite his evolution and the changes made under his leadership at Michigan, I would remind you that this body adopted DEI strategic priorities as recently as 2020. Like Michigan, the Board of Governors has evolved since,' BOG member Charles Lydecker said, adding that Ono's previous positions on the topics governors were concerned about 'are not meaningfully different from those previously held by this board.' 'The real question is this: Should we punish someone for evolving beyond a view this very body once held, especially when that person has already led one of the nation's most prominent universities to a different course, a course that mirrors our own?' Lydecker said. Lydecker added that 'There is something fundamentally unjust about cancel culture, and to cancel Dr. Ono would not only be unjust, it would be a setback for the University of Florida.' The degree of vetting from governors Tuesday was not typical, and is the first time the Board of Governors has rejected a president, the Orlando Sentinel reported. 'I've been on this board for five, six years, and we have never used this as a forum to interrogate. And in this case, it feels to me patently unfair,' Lydecker said after former House Speaker and now-BOG member Paul Renner put documents in front of Ono about his past. At one point, BOG member Eric Silagy asked if any of the governors had expressed interest in the UF presidency. Mori Hosseini, the chair of the UF Board of Trustees, said yes. He acknowledged Renner reached out to him asking about the job. Renner insisted that he reached out to to Hosseini before he was on the BOG. Renner said he would not take the UF job if offered now that he's on the BOG. Renner did not recuse himself, although, and voted against Ono. Ono told the BOG he had made 12 commitments, which include ideological neutrality, solely merit-based hiring and admissions, keeping the university aligned with state government, and upholding state laws and university regulations. He said he asked for those provisions to be included in his contract. 'Doctor, your recent reversal on an entire architecture of ideology is nothing short of incredible,' BOG member and former House Speaker Jose Oliva said. Oliva also voted against Ono. Hosseini, stood by Ono's candidacy, and sat next to him during the 'interrogation.' 'The bottom line is that Dr. Ono is globally recognized as one of the most respected leaders in higher education, and we are lucky to have him,' Hosseini said. Ono was previously president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. The GOP pushback mounted high enough to reject Ono, who had already stepped down as Michigan's president. U.S. Rep. and GOP gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds posted to X questions related to DEI that he encouraged BOG members to ask, and Rick Scott did the same, Monday evening releasing a statement and questions concerning Ono's commitment to protecting Jewish students. After the vote, Scott called the vote 'the right decision,' and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis said 'I'm happy to see the system work.' Donald Trump Jr. posted to X 'WTF! Have the decision makers at @UF lost their minds!???' calling on BOG members to vote against Ono. U.S. Rep. Greg Steube sent a letter to BOG members, asking them to reject Ono, 'and find a suitable replacement who truly represents Florida values.' After the UF trustees' meeting last week, Steube said 'I'm not sold' on Ono 'walking back his woke past.' The governor's office appoints six of 13 of the university trustees at each institution and 14 of the 17 BOG members. 'The Board of Governors has a strong history of affirming presidential nominees who received unanimous approval from their university boards to continue this practice sends a message that the Board of Governors values the opinion of their colleagues with the state university system and does not yield to outsiders who post out of context sound bites on social media,' Hosseini said. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Santa Ono rejected to lead University of Florida after GOP backlash
June 3 (UPI) -- Dr. Santa Ono, the former president at the University of Michigan, was rejected Tuesday as the next president at the University of Florida amid backlash from Republicans over his earlier support of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Tuesday's decision by the 17-member Board of Governors comes one week after UF's Board of Trustees unanimously approved Ono as the finalist. Ono was on track to become one of the highest paid public university presidents in the country. He was due to sign a five-year contract with a base salary of $1.5 million and incentives to earn as much as $15 million over the life of the deal. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the 2023 bill banning DEI initiatives in public colleges, delivered a lukewarm response when Ono became the presidential pick, saying Ono's statements made him "cringe." Other Republicans, including Sen. Rick Scott and Reps. Byron Donalds and Greg Steube expressed outrage. "The UF Board of Trustees has made a grave mistake," Steube wrote in a post last week. "Dr. Ono gave it his best 'college try' walking back his woke past, claiming he's now 'evolved.' But I'm not sold. This role is too important to gamble on convenient conversions." Republican state Rep. Jimmy Patronis also questioned the presidential search committee's decision to make Ono the sole finalist. "UF sets the benchmark for education nationwide. There's too much smoke with Santa Ono. We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor," Patronis wrote on X. During questioning for the role, Ono stated he believed DEI programs do more harm than good. He said he closed the University of Michigan's DEI offices in March and vowed DEI would not return to Florida's campus, if he were president. "The fact is some of my past remarks about DEI do not reflect what I believe, and that evolution did not take place overnight and it was shaped over a year and a half of thinking, discussions, listening to faculty, staff and students and their thoughts on the DEI program," Ono said. Ono, who was criticized for allowing an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters to remain at the University of Michigan for a month, vowed last week during questioning to fight anti-Semitism at the University of Florida. "Let me be very clear: based on my experience, I believe that anti-Semitism is not just one form of hatred among many," Ono said. "It is a uniquely virulent and persistent threat, especially on college campuses today."
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- General
- Boston Globe
Candidate for University of Florida president is rejected over his diversity stance
At Michigan, Ono had presided over a campus that was rife with acrimonious debates over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of diversity in higher education. Those issues have been hotly debated in Florida, where Republican leaders have successfully enacted conservative priorities across K-12 schools and in college. Ono had tried to distance himself from the politics of Michigan as he sought to transition to the Sunshine State. Last month, he wrote an opinion essay disavowing diversity programs, for instance. Advertisement Paul Renner, a member of the Board of Governors who voted against Ono's confirmation, said in an interview Tuesday that Ono had led a university that embraced diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Renner said he did not find Ono's attempt to distance himself from those efforts sincere. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'The public record completely contradicted what the nominee was telling us,' said Renner, a former speaker of the Florida House. Republicans celebrated the unexpected move. Ono had already given notice that he would be leaving his job in Michigan. A Michigan spokesperson did not immediately return a message. But a member of the school's Board of Regents, Jordan Acker, suggested that Ono could not get his old job back. 'Santa Ono tendered his resignation and we accepted it,' Acker said in a brief interview. Advertisement Rebekah Modrak, a recent chair of Michigan's Faculty Senate, called the assertion that Ono was soft on pro-Palestinian activism 'absolutely untrue.' She criticized his decision to close the university's DEI office, which had been known as a national leader in such programming. 'He's a man who witnessed racial bias but closed the office of diversity, equity and inclusion,' Modrak said in an email, adding, 'There's a strong sense of justice in the fact that Santa Ono is now out of a job.' In Florida, the opposition to Ono was flipped. In recent weeks he had been criticized by some conservatives in the state over his past stances on diversity programming. 'There's too much smoke with Santa Ono,' Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., wrote on social media Monday. 'We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor.' Ono had supporters in Florida. The chair of the university's board of trustees, Mori Hosseini, who has aimed to move the university in Gainesville, Florida, up in rankings, had supported Ono. 'He is the right person to accelerate UF's upward trajectory,' Hosseini said in a message to the Florida community last week. He could not be immediately reached for comment. Ono would have replaced Ben Sasse, a former Nebraska senator who abruptly resigned last summer. Ono was born to Japanese immigrant parents in Vancouver, British Columbia, and grew up in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Before leading the University of Michigan, he served as president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati. Ono could not be immediately reached for comment. The University of Florida declined to comment. Advertisement This article originally appeared in
